by Sam Crescent
“I’m sure she’s fine.”
He didn’t want Lydia back in Jessica’s life. Fucking that woman had been a big mistake.
“I know you don’t approve, but she is my friend and I care about her.”
“I care about you, Jess. I promised your family I’d keep you safe. We’ve been engaged a week, and if anything happened to you, they’d blame me.”
She sighed. “I never knew how hot it was to have a possessive man looking after me.”
“Fuck, yeah, I’m possessive.”
“I’m not the one staring at dick all afternoon.”
“No, you’re the sexy hot nurse kissing all the booboos better. I don’t know what’s worse, staring at plastic tits or knowing you’re making men feel better.”
“I don’t just take care of men. I take care of women, too. I’m not sexist.”
“It’s the men I’m concerned about, no one else.” He finished his cigarette throwing it to the floor. Stubbing it out, he quickly checked the time. He’d been talking for the last five minutes.
“I can promise you there’s nothing for you to be worried about. I’m all yours, Snake.”
“Stay at the hospital. Don’t leave it, and I’ll see you later.”
“Will do, love you.”
“Love you, too,” he said, hanging up.
Taking another breath of fresh air, he entered the strip club.
“She has you by the balls,” Dime said.
“Whatever, man. I can’t wait for the moment you settle down. You’re going to fall just as hard as the rest of us. When you find the right woman, you’re not going to know what hit you.”
Dime burst out laughing. “Just keep telling yourself that, Snake.”
Resting his cheek on his fist, he stared up at the stage. “Shut your fucking mouth. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Clara’s hired. She’s got an awesome show, and her tits are tight as fuck. It was a good job they’d done.”
Snake wasn’t interested in knowing what kind of tits Clara had. Another piece of music started up, and he sat watching a brunette strut her stuff along the stage.
Every now and then he checked his phone to see if Jessica had called. He didn’t like this. Toward lunch the main door opened, and several of the brothers came through. He spotted Dick, Spider, Butler, and Guts entering the main club.
“We thought it was time to spread a little of the love,” Spider said.
“No, he wanted to see what pussy he could fuck. June’s on the rag,” Dick said, taking a seat beside Snake.
“Dude, too much fucking information,” Snake said. He didn’t want to know about women’s rags. The worst of it was Jessica was on hers. She’d started last night, and she’d gotten the worst kind of cramps. He’d lain behind her, rubbing her stomach until she fell asleep in his arms.
Moving away from Dime and the men, he walked up to the bar, grabbing himself a soda. They weren’t stocked yet, but he’d brought something to drink.
“Are you okay, man?” Dick asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
He watched the men looking at the next women with interest. There just wasn’t anything there for him to look forward to.
Sipping at his soda, he pulled out his cell phone to see there were no missed calls or texts. It was past lunchtime, and he’d be seeing his woman in a couple of hours.
“You’re lucky, you know,” Dick said.
“What?”
Dick wasn’t known for being particularly nice to anyone, let alone telling anyone they were lucky.
“You’ve found a woman to put up with your ways.”
“Dick, you don’t even like people or women.”
“I like women. I like a hell of a lot of things, Snake. No one cares to see what I like.” Dick pointed at the men. “I’m not the only one that sees how wasteful this all is. The women, the whores, it’ll all fade. What do we do when we’re old with beer guts and we fart all the time?” Dick shook his head. “I don’t know what we did, man, but this isn’t going to be the way things are forever. We’re getting older.”
They both turned as Mia charged into the room. “Lexie’s gone into labor. Devil’s at the hospital. Vincent and Phoebe are there.”
Snake charged for the door, not bothering to see who came and who didn’t. He drove in the car, and he raced to get inside. For the last two births he’d been there, and he wasn’t going to miss this one.
Jumping behind the wheel, he drove toward the hospital. Several of the men were on bikes. The parking lot was full, but Snake found a space to park. Rushing toward the reception area, he found Ripper and Judi waiting with their son.
“What happened?” Snake asked.
“She was cleaning the nursery, and her water broke. Simon screamed the house down shouting for Devil,” Judi said. “I was there with Ripper.”
“Was she okay?”
He looked behind him to see Vincent and Phoebe were sitting with all the kids. Phoebe was leaning her head against Vincent. The woman was starting to show signs of being pregnant again. Vincent was rubbing Phoebe’s stomach while Simon walked around the kids playing on the floor as if he was the boss.
“Have you seen Jess?” he asked. He might as well see her while he was here.
Judi looked at Ripper. “I haven’t seen her, have you?”
“No.”
“It’s okay. I’ll just go look for her.” He walked up to the reception and asked. They hadn’t seen her either. Checking the time, he decided to go and check the cafeteria. There was no sign of Jessica but there was of Doctor Bastard.
“I’ve not done anything,” he said.
“Calm down. Where’s Jessica?”
“I was hoping you’d tell me that. I’ve not seen her since lunch. She got a call and left the hospital. I’ve not seen her since.”
“Wait? What? No, I told her to stay here for fucking lunch.”
“She didn’t, and I watched her leave the hospital.” Doctor Bastard shook his head. “She keeps leaving and not returning she’s going to be out of a job.”
“Fuck off.” Snake walked away, typing her number into his cell phone. Walking down to the main reception he listened to the voicemail for a second time. “Will you keep me informed of Lex?” he asked Judi.
“Of course.”
“What’s going on?” Dick asked.
“I can’t reach Jess. She’s not answering her phone, and she left at lunch. I’m going to check her house.” Something twisted in his gut. He didn’t know why, but it did. Something bad had happened.
****
Lunchtime
Jessica made her way up to the cafeteria about to have the worst lunch in the world when her cell phone went off. Seeing it was Lydia’s number she answered immediately.
“Hey, are you home yet?”
“Jess, I need you,” Lydia said, sniffling.
“What’s going on? What’s happened?”
“I’m at your place. I used the key you keep under the mat. I really need to see you. I’m hurt, Jess. I’m hurt bad.”
“Shit, fuck, yes, I’ll be there. Stay there and I’ll come to you.” Closing her cell phone, she rushed past Milford. There was a taxi waiting in the parking lot. Rushing toward it she asked him if he could drive her home.
Within twenty minutes she was rushing inside her home. Her heart was pounding thinking the worst of what happened to Lydia. They were friends, and she didn’t want anything to happen to her.
“Lydia, I’m here.” Closing the door, she walked into the sitting room. Lydia was on the couch. She was bloody, bruised, and beaten. “Fuck, Lydia, what the hell happened to you?”
“I wish you hadn’t come,” Lydia said.
“What? You’re not talking any sense.” Pulling out her penlight she tried to shine the light in Lydia’s eyes.
“Where’s Snake?”
“He’s working. Let me look at you. I should take you to the hospital. These cuts and bruises could signify internal bleeding.
” She winced seeing Lydia’s wrists were also badly cut. “Who did this to you?”
Lydia opened her mouth, but it wasn’t Lydia who spoke.
“She did this to herself.”
Standing up, Jessica spun around to see a man in a business suit walking into her sitting room. He was buttoning up his jacket looking as if he owned the place. “I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave,” she said. Her hands started to shake as the noise behind her alerted her to more people in the house. Glancing behind her she saw two men in suits entering her house. Lydia whimpered.
“Yes, I think you’ll do nicely. It has been a long time since I’ve had a woman with curves.” He licked his lips, and Jessica knew she didn’t want to ever know what he was thinking in that moment.
“You’re not coming near me,” she said.
“No? You’re coming with us.”
Lydia cried out, and when Jessica turned back to her friend, she saw one of the men held a knife against her throat. She gasped as the man she’d been speaking to grabbed her neck, hauling her back against him.
“I can have her killed with the snap of my fingers, Jess. My buddy there likes to run his blade across women’s flesh and listen to them scream.”
She couldn’t do this.
“Lydia’s outlived her usefulness, but if you come with me, I’ll spare her.”
“This is insane and crazy.”
His hand went to her throat, tightening his hold. “What’s it going to be?”
“Jess,” Lydia said.
Staring at her friend she watched the man press the blade just a little harder into her flesh.
“Stop, I’ll come with you.” Her heart was pounding.
“Good. I always like it when people do as they’re told. Bring the car around to the back.”
“What should I call you?” she asked.
“You can call me Master.”
Gritting her teeth, she tried not to think of the predicament she’d found herself in. Snake had told her to stay in the hospital and here she was with a man who’d threatened to kill her friend.
“Bring the car around the back. I’m not interested in being seen right now.” Master didn’t let her go. His lips moved to her ear. “I can’t wait to play with you.”
“You’re not touching me.”
He chuckled. “Honey, you’re going to know every part of me.” His other hand moved down her body to touch her nipples.
Closing her eyes, she tried to keep a hold of her senses. Her stomach was turning over, and the fear was getting too much. The man pressing a knife against Lydia’s throat dragged her friend off the couch.
“Leave her alone. You said she’d be fine.”
“I said she would be fine, yes, I didn’t say she wouldn’t be a little bruised before she got there.”
She was propelled forward. He pushed her past her garden, and she was shocked that she did exactly what he said. She didn’t want to go with him, but Lydia’s life was in danger. Jessica didn’t fight as Master gripped her neck leading her toward a blackened out car. The moment she got in there, she was lost. There was no doubt about it.
There was nothing for her to do. Sitting in the back of the car, she was shocked when Lydia wasn’t sitting with them. “I thought it was only fitting that you come with me.”
“Where’s Lydia?”
“Up in the front with my men. They’ll take us to my house safely.”
Tears filled Jessica’s eyes, and she looked out of the window to see nothing. There was no sign of anything clear.
“I don’t want to be here. Please, let me and Lydia go.”
“No, you see, Lydia’s bored me, and I hate being bored.”
“You’ve got to stop this,” she said, biting her lip.
“My supply of girls has been cut off, Miss Stickler. I want what I want, and you’re about to fill that void.”
He let her go long enough to reach into his jacket pocket.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Don’t worry, darling, this will only sting for a little.”
He pressed a needle into her shoulder. Pulling away from him, Jessica felt her body start to grow heavy.
“What … have … you …” Blackness filled the void inside her. There was nothing.
****
Gasping for breath, Jessica woke up staring at a plain white ceiling. Lydia, Master, the knife, Snake’s orders, all of it came back to her instantly. She lay on a hard floor, and she rolled over trying to make sense of her surroundings. The nurse’s scrubs she’d been in before were gone. She wore a long white gown.
“I have to say I was a little disappointed that our play will have to wait. I was looking forward to sinking my cock into your warm cunt.”
She turned toward the noise to find Master fucking Lydia on the bed. Her friend had her eyes squeezed closed.
Revulsion struck her hard as she looked at her friend. Getting to her feet, she felt something on her leg. She couldn’t move as there was a metal cuff around her ankle, keeping her locked in place.
Lydia was being attacked, and there was nothing she could do.
“I’m sorry that my menstrual cycle ruined your plans.”
“It’s okay. I’m a patient man, and you’ll be all the sweeter for waiting.”
“Snake will find me. He won’t stop,” she said.
Master grunted, and he pressed Lydia’s face into the bedding.
“I know who the Chaos Bleeds are. They were the ones that not only killed my supplier but they’re also housing one of my girls.”
“One of your girls?” Lydia started to struggle. “Let her go. You’re killing her!”
He held Lydia down a little longer before releasing her. “This one’s a slut to the core. No one could tame her.”
Lydia gasped, sliding to the floor and crying out.
“Brianna, she’s one of my girls. You’re all going to wear my mark.” He tugged Lydia to the bed, spreading her thighs. “Look.”
Jessica didn’t want to look, but she knew she’d have to. Glancing down, she saw the burn on Lydia’s thigh. “What is that?”
“It’s my mark. I like my women to remember me always.”
“It looks like a hot poker mark.”
Master chuckled. The bedroom doors opened, and two men appeared. One of the men held a poker with a mark on the tip. It was glowing from the heat.
“What the hell?” There was nowhere for her to run. Master moved to her side, slamming Lydia into the wall when her friend tried to stop him.
“It’s time to mark you.”
The second man helped to hold her down. Jessica screamed, fighting them off. It was useless. They pushed the shirt she was wearing out of the way, pressing the scalding tip to her thigh.
Her throat hurt from the screams. When it was done, she collapsed onto the floor. In the background she was aware of the noise around her. Her head was buzzing, and the pain was indescribable.
“Alone at last.” She was lifted up off the floor. “I may not be able to fuck you, but I can play a little.”
Chapter Twelve
Snake opened Jessica’s front door and hesitated.
“What is it?” Dick asked.
“I know Jessica. She wouldn’t leave her front door open.” He pushed it open calling out her name. No one answered, not that he expected anyone to.
“Man, I don’t like this.”
He didn’t either. Entering the house, he was pissed with himself for not having a weapon for this moment. There was no sign of Jessica. Entering the sitting room he glanced down to find her cell phone on the floor. He picked it up, scrolling through the last messages and calls.
“What is it?”
“Lydia, she called her last.”
“Dial Lydia back,” Dick said.
“I’m doing it.”
The cell phone rang and rang.
“Hello,” Lydia said, whispering.
“Lydia? Where’s Jessica?” Snake stared at Di
ck while he waited for Lydia to answer.
“You need to help us.”
He frowned. “Why are you whispering?”
“They tossed me into the bedroom with this cell phone. They didn’t think I was going to use it. I was going to call you.”
“Okay, I’m really confused right now. What’s going on?”
“He has us, Snake. Master, he’s got us locked in his home.”
The name Master had him looking directly at Dick. “Tell me where you are.”
She started to give directions to a secluded home out of town. He’d heard rumors that some billionaire owned the place and it was surrounded by metal security gates.
“What the fuck are you doing, you little cunt?”
Snake heard a man on the line. Lydia screamed, crying out, and the line went dead.
“We need to get back to the clubhouse.”
The sound of a car screeching outside brought them both up short. He walked to the door to see who was making a dramatic entrance. Lydia had put his woman in danger. Fear gripped him. He didn’t know what he was going to do if anything happened to his woman.
He recognized Sean as he rounded the car. “What the fuck was Lydia talking about?”
“Lydia?”
“She called me twenty minutes ago telling me she couldn’t talk, but Jessica’s in danger and it was all her fault. She hung up, and I tried calling her back. She wouldn’t answer.”
Someone must have been in the room when he tried to call back. Lydia was following orders, and answering the phone wasn’t one of them. Fuck, Lydia was going to get them both killed.
“I know where they are.” The problem was, he needed backup to get there. “I’ve got to go to the hospital.”
“Why the hospital?”
“That’s where Brianna and Death are. She knows who Master is.” They rushed out of the house. Snake didn’t make conversation on the way back to the hospital. There was no need. He saw several bikes in the parking lot, and among them was Death’s bike. Charging toward the hospital he was aware of Dick and Sean at his heels. He didn’t care what it took, only that he got his woman back.
Brianna sat with her head resting on Death’s chest.
“What do you know about Master?” he asked, moving toward them.